Polishing-machine.



No. 672,66I. Patented Apr. 23, 190|.. E. D. WOODS.

PLISHING MACHINE.

(Application Bled Apr. 4 1898.)

2 Sheets-Sheet: l.

V(No Modgi.)

'r'Hs cams mens ou.. Proomurno.. wumanm n. c.

No. 672,66l.. Patented Apr. 23, 190|.

. D Iwouns.

PUSHING MACHINE.

(Application med Apr. 4,1898., (No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 2.

WITHESES: IJEYTUR )Yom (im ATTYS Aculties, the tire ofv my improved wheel being `and the walls of the tire being held apart, so

EDWARD D. WOODS, OF GRANVILLE, NEW YORK, ASSIGNOR TO THE WOODS SPECIALTY COMPANY, OF NEW YORK.

MACHINE.

SPECIFICATION formingpart ofk Letters Patent No. 672,661, dated April 23, 1901i.

Application filed April 4, 1898- Serial No. 676,331. (No model.)

To all whom t 1v1/ty concern.:

Be it known that I, EDWARD D. WOODS, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Granville, in the county of Washington and State of New York, have in vented certain new and useful Improvements in Polishing-Machines, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to machines and belts for polishing articles of manufacture, such as cutlery and any other thing that can be polished, buffed, or otherwise nished by contact with a rapidly-moving surface. Its object is to enable a pneumatic or cushioned tire to be used in such a machine without running any danger of the tire collapsing laterally, either partially or wholly, or of the tire leaving the surface of the wheel upon which it rests when the wheel is rotated rapidly; also, to provide improved means for inating pneumatic tires in such machines and for easily regulating the air pressure therein; also, to provide improved belts for such machines, and also means for adj ustably tightening such belts.

It consists of the devices hereinafter described, and claimed in the claims at the end of this speciication.

Heretofore pneumatic tires have been used upon polishing-wheels alone or in connection withabelt run thereon. Great difficulty has, however, been encountered in the use of such Wheels for polishing purposes, owing to the fact that when such Wheels are rotated with the great rapidity necessary for polishing purposes the pneumatic tires tend to separate from the wheeland also tend to collapse more or less laterally. This latter is a very serious objection in using such wheels for polishing cutlery and similar articles, as the speed there required is necessarily very great and as the polishingsurface of the tire is narrowed by such rapid rotation to such an extent as almost to destroy its usefulness for such polishing purposes. By means of my improved stiffening device, to be hereinafter described, I have entirely overcome both of these dinisecurely held Vupon the web of the wheel without any possibility of separating therefrom that they cannot collapse laterally, the tire thus furnishing a broad polishing-surface at all times.

Heretofore means for inflating pneumatic tires of polishing-wheels have necessitated the stoppage of the wheel for the purposes of inflation or deflation, thus consuming considerable time and involving considerable trouble. I have devised an improved means of inlating pneumatic tires or rims of polishing-wheels which is automatic and by means of which the air-pressure can be increased or diminished to vary the rigidity or softness of the rim or tire while the wheel is rotating and Without any trouble and without loss of time.

In the drawings accompanying this specification, in which similarreference characters in the different iigures represent corresponding parts, I have shown the preferred form of my invention, which I will now proceed to describe.

Figure lis a side elevation of a machine embodying my invention, parts being shown as broken out the better to illustrate the structure. Fig. 2 is a vertical sectional view through the center of the wheel shown in Fig. l. Fig. 2a is a perspective view of a portion of the tire. Fig. 3 is a cross-sectional view of one form of my improved belt. Fig. 3a is a cross-sectional view of another form of polishing-belt. Fig. 4 is a cross-sectional view of another form of belt open, and Fig. 5 is a like view with the belt iiattened. Fig. 6 is a cross-sectional view of my improved wheel-rim, showing the body of the latter made of sponge-rubber and a strip of felt or other suitable substance cemented to the tread of the wheel. Fig. 7 is a cross-sectional view of a modified form of my improved tire and a modified form of the web portion of the wheel.

In the machine shown in Figs. land 2, a designates the frame of the machine, which may be of any suitable form or size. This frame supports a rotary wheel b in suitable bearings. The Wheel b comprises in its construction a hub c and a web consisting, preferably, of two sheets of metal riveted together and having their circular edges flared outwardly and curved, so as to form between them a substantially semicircular groove to IOO receive and hold therein a circular cushion rim or tire ol. Where the cushion-tire d consists of a hollow air-tube, it is necessary ihat it should be made capable of adjustment to any degree of rigidity, since if left without such means the extent of its usefulness would be greatly curtailed, if, indeed, it could be successfully. used at all in polishing articles.

In Figs. l, 2, 2a, 3, 4, and 7 the cushiontire d is not made air-tight. ,These figures show my improved means for adjusting the amount of air-pressu re in such tires,and hence of regulating the rigidity or softness of the tire. These means consist of one or more openings i, each provided with a'flap t" in one side of the tire, through which the air can enter into the interior of the tire. The

.opening and flap may be made in any suitable way; but I prefer to make them by partially cutting outa portion of the wall of the tire in th'evform shown in fla-p t or in any desirable form, leaving the flap at one end connected to the tire, as shown. The free end of the flap should of course lie in the direction toward which the wheel is to rotate, so that as the wheel rotates the Hap will open and force air into the tire. I have found that with such an opening or openings more air will enter the tire the faster the wheel is rotated, and thus the'more rapid the rotation ofthe wheel the more rigid becomes the surface of the tire. In this way without stoppingl the wheel and by simply rotating thev wheel faster or more slowly the tire can be made of any rigidity or softness desiredl and the wheel be thus easily adapted for polishing different and varying surfaces.

My improved cushion-tire instead of being inade hollow and being inflated, as abovedescribed, may be lled with sponge-rubber, as shown in Fig. 6, or acufsh-ion effect may be given toit in any Well-known mannerhas', for

example, Vin the well-known air-tight and i'n flatable pneumatic tire.

To prevent the cushion-tire from separating from the wheel during rapid rotation o'r from collapsing laterally atsuch time, I place `within the riln or tire dand in the lower part ofthe interior thereof a stifening device. I I'have shown in Figs. 1, 2, 2a, and 6- as' ni-y preferred form of stiffening device a circular hoop f, preferably made of steel or similar material, substantially semicir'cular in cross'- section. This hoop fits into the bottom of the tube d, extends u p along its sides, and is preferably curved inward at its upper edges g, as shown in Figs. 2 and 2a. This hoopfserves the purpose of holding the rim or tire on the :wheel against being thrown off from centrifugal tendency or action, prevents the tire from oollapsinglaterally from the same action, and maintainsl the rim or tire in proper place or position at all times. In the preferred form of the hoop f the edges are curled inward, as

shown in Fig. 2, in order that a better form of surface inay' be presented to the article being finished when it is placed upon the wheelV ment affords a bearing means for the edges of the hoop which enhances the polishing effects of the Wheel, as well as improving its dura- `bility.f In` Fig. 7 I have shown a' modification of the stil'fening device and of the form of the web of the wheel. InV this form the stiffening device consists of a ring fu, of hard rubber or similar materia-l', in whi'c'hi's embedded wires wl The ring and wiresprod-uce afsijmilar' effectf to that of the hoop f, hol-ding the tire d upon the wheel and preventing lateral? co1- l'apsing of the wal-'ls of thetir'e. In this forni also', u is a reinforcement on theinner side of the vupper part of the'tire. The webofthe Wheel is composed of two parts y y, secured together byscrews z z. Tliepart represents the air space or'chamfber above the ring fu. Asshovvn in Fig.A 7, this'air'-chamber :vis inflated or deflated through opening t.

The tire ot' the wheel may itself be sanded or providedl with an erne'ry'su'rface, so that the machine as thus far described may be employed as com plete polishing or finishing machine, and, as before stated, the tire can be ind-ated tol any degreeof rigidity tirait will suit any' work inli-and. The adjustment of the rigidity of the tire is", as before stated, very important, sinc'e fromexperience I have found that with some articles thebestresults are obtained with. a softer and` more readily yielding sui-face or body, whilew'itli ether articles the harder or moreV rigid surface is required. Y

Instead of making the cushion-tire hollow and inllating it, as stated, I may forni the body of' the cushion-tire of sponge-rubber, as shown in Fig. 6. In this ca'se' the hoopl fis cast into the body of the tire and tlleneeessity ofcurving inward t'heupp'er edges of the hoop' is' not as great.

In most cases itis proposed to' employ'a belt j, arranged io'rnn about the wheel over the tire-just described. Th-i-sbel-t runs,prefer` ably, about thetighfteningpulley k', running on stud connected with a pivoted levery Z, as shown in Fig. 1. This lever' carriesat one end`v a-weight Z', hooked to the lever Z through holes Z2. The Weight causes the' pulley toe'xert a tightening pressure upon the belt' j. I have arrangeda number of holes Z2 at varying distances from' the pivot 'of the lever, so that' by moving the weight Z from one hole toanother thepressureV exerted by the piilley on the belt vnua-y be lincreased or diminished. The belt may be covered with' einery' or be sanded and maybe variously constructed. 0f the belts which I have'foun'd eo'ient for the purpose I have illustrated three form-sin the To further avoid this last-men-` IOO IIO

drawings. That shown in Fig. 3 consists of a belt curved or halfround in form upon one side and fiat upon the other. It has an outer shell of rubber or leather m and a straight edge portion m', the two parts encircling an air receptacle or chamber, having, preferably, an opening ,provided with a flap i', as shown. This air-chamber may be air-tight and be inated with air by any suitable means, or it may be constructed with an opening t' into the atmosphere, as shown, or it may be filled with sponge-rubber, felt, or other cushioning substance. In use, the flat part m' of this belt may be run upon the wheel, since it would readily accommodate itself to the contour of the latter, while the rounded portion in connection with the tire will aiford a better form of surface for polishing and finishing articles.

In Fig. 3a I have shown the belt or wheel cover as made substantially fiat, the upper and lower partsf/m being composed of leather, rubber, or other material, and the central part n' of felt, rubber, sponge-rubber, hair, or other cushioning material to obviate the rigidity of a hard wheel-rim. The parts m and m' are secured together by sewing, riveting, eementing, or otherwise.

tire in order that emery or other sanding material may be cemented thereon. This band t may be employed on the structure shown in Figs. l and 2 in lieu of the belt.

It is necessary to my improved wheel that when the tire is used the latter should be yielding and quite sensitive to pressure and also that it should be adjustable as to rigidity, so as to adapt it to meet different requirements in the operation of polishing or nishing metal articles.

The belts shown may be employed upon a wheel as a completely-constructed belt would be used, or they may be employed as tires to the wheel or as wheel-covers.

What I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. In a polishing-machine, a wheel having a cushion rim or tire provided in the lower part of its interior with a stiffening-hoop, substantially half-round in cross-section, and a polishing-strip of suitable material cemented to the rim or tire, substantially as set forth.

2. In a polishingmachine, the combination with a rotary wheel having a hollow rim or tire, of an opening provided with a iap for the admission of air, whereby the `pressure of air in the rim or tire may be varied by varying the speed of rotation of the wheel, substantially as set forth.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specication in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

EDWARD D. WOODS.

Witnesses:

H. T. SEYMOUR, C. B. PATTERSON. 

